Brighter LED lights could replace household bulbs

Published: Thursday, January 10, 2008, 18:46 [IST]

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Washington, Jan 10 : Soon, your household bulbs could be brighter and more energy-efficient, for scientists are on their way to introducing the technology of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) into households.

Though LEDs, already used in electrical equipment such as computers and mobile phones, are several times more energy efficient than standard light-bulbs, their structure and material traps much of the light, thus decreasing the brightness of the light and making them inappropriate as the main lighting source in the home. ow researchers from the University of Glasgow say that they have found a way of launching a new generation of LEDs into households that are brighter and use even less power than standard energy efficient light-bulbs.

"By making microscopic holes on the surface of the LEDs it is possible to extract more light, thus increasing the brightness of the lights without increasing the energy consumption," the Environmental News Network quoted lead researcher Dr Faiz Rahman, as saying.

"As yet, LEDs have not been introduced as the standard lighting in homes because the process of making the holes is very time consuming and expensive. However, by using world-class facilities at the University of Glasgow we believe we have found a way of imprinting the holes into billions of LEDs at a far greater speed, but at a much lower cost.

"LEDs not only use less power than current energy efficient light-bulbs but they are much smaller and can last years without needing to be replaced. This means the days of the humble light-bulb could soon be over," he added.

The team of researchers use a technique called nano-imprint lithography to directly imprint the holes, imperceptible to the human eye, onto the LEDs allowing more of the light to escape.

The project is being developed in conjunction with the Institute of Photonics, University of Strathclyde, Mesophotonics Ltd and Sharp Laboratories of Europe, as part of the BERR Technology Programme.